SOUTHAMPTON — A major land acquisition of a 52-acre plot of land on College Highway has officially been executed.
During the Oct. 1 Select Board meeting, Southampton Town Administrator Scott Szczebak announced that the town officially closed on the land located between 117-125 College Hwy. on Sept. 26.
Originally, the town was authorized to borrow up to $2.2 million to pay for the property after the majority of registered voters in town voted to support a debt exclusion so the town could execute the purchase during a June special election.
However, a recent development has now allowed the town to alleviate the burden on Southampton’s taxpayers.
In a truncated meeting on Sept. 17, the Southampton Select Board accepted a gift of $1 million in the form of a mutual fund donated by the Boyle family, who owned the property in the 1940s.
Because of this gift, the town now only has to borrow no more than $1.2 million for the purchase of the College Highway land.
“This is just an incredibly generous donation,” Select Board Chair Christine Fowles said during the Sept. 17 meeting. “I really do just want to thank the Boyle family for their generosity and helping relieve the burden on the town’s taxpayers in acquiring this property.”
Although the primary use of the land, which was purchased from the Labrie family, will be for the town’s new public safety complex, Fowles mentioned that she has had talks with the town about other uses for the property.
She added that the Boyle family is not opposed to other uses for the property, but they are most interested in the public safety complex.
“[The gift] is really just for the land acquisition, but that gives us a good start on all the projects that we want to do from the public safety complex to the senior center, some affordable housing perhaps, and various other uses that are coming forward to us still,” Fowles said. “We want to thank them publicly.”
Other uses have been discussed for the land have included playing fields for soccer and baseball.
